Monthly Archives: August 2014

Greetings from Dubrovnik, Croatia!

We’ve been in Croatia now for about a week, and it’s really been great. Our first stop, if you recall, was Opatija, on the “Croatian Riviera,” home of the rental apartment with the magnificent view. Then we spent a few days in Zadar, where I re-lived my youth by both diving into water, and getting minor injuries.

Now we’re further south in Dubrovnik, which is a beautiful city that lies directly on the Adriatic. The “old town” is intimate and scenic, with narrow cobbled streets made of time-worn marble, Baroque architecture, and sweeping views of the Adriatic.

We also went to the beach here, with clean, blue waters, plenty of sun, and an “aquapark” that we goofed around on for about a half-hour, until our bodies could take no more. No injuries this time, except for some bruised egos.

But we’ve also spent some time acting not as tourists, but as locals. Our apartment is a bit north of the city center, and we’ve spent a few nights just hanging out, cooking meals, or grabbing a beer at the waterfront place across the street (which is also where Amy gets her morning jolt of coffee).

Another part of living like a local is trying the local fare. Everywhere we go, we’ll try the local beer, and Croatia is no exception. It’s been pretty good.

And everywhere we’ve gone we’ve seen these billboards:

It’s “Cockta,” and it’s the local soft-drink that seems like their version of Coca Cola. It’s also the sole sponsor of local reruns of “According to Jim,” a show which we sadly sat through four episodes (non-sequentially) because there was nothing else on TV in English, and I wasn’t going to watch Croatian folk music again. And, well, heck – if it’s a “local legend,” I was gonna give it a try.

So I bought some, and I did. And then I gave Amy a taste:

Cockta is horrible. It’s like sour Dr. Pepper with herbs and bitters. It should be called “Fa-Cockta.” Am I right, my Yiddish-speaking friends??

And here’s another thing: On three separate occasions, we got ice cream. Having just come from Italy, we were looking forward to a cold, delicious treat, and we figured with the world’s best gelato just to the north, the ice cream’s got to be pretty good here, too, right?

WRONG. It’s NOT good. It tastes completely artificial. I got “banana split” flavor one time – big mistake. And today I got strawberry and banana. The strawberry tasted like a weak Starburst candy. And the banana tasted like some bad banana flavored gum or something. I know I shouldn’t have tried the fruit flavors again. But wait – two out of three times, Amy threw hers out, and she got chocolate!

And, yes, we did try three different places, but we figured ONE of them had to be good. And it’s been HOT here, man! We needed to cool off. But nope – every one has been a letdown. To quote Amy:

“They’re so many Italian tourists, you would think they’d raise a stink and get this sorted out.”

Sadly, the stink is coming from the banana split.

Hello Readers!

Welcome to a quick post to catch you up to date. I’m currently working on something about our time at the Palio in Siena a few weeks ago, which – considering the amount of time I’ve been working on it – should be terribly disappointing! HOORAY!

That said, here’s a little something that gets to the real purpose of this blog, which is letting our mothers know that we’re safe and sound. That’s why this post is about the multiple injuries I sustained today. HOORAY!

Yesterday we arrived in Zadar, Croatia. It’s a beautiful seaside town on the Adriatic, and we’ve had some sunny days while here. One of the first things we did was go to the waterfront, where we saw half of Croatia jumping and diving off the wharf into the water.

It looked like a lot of fun. And then we saw this little guy, as well:

(by the way, yes, that child is naked)

He was the hero of the day, jumping off the six-foot wharf into the Adriatic to get his ball. Every Italian, Korean, and German tourist, plus two New Yorkers, stood around and watched this little fella for about a half-hour. He was a real crowd-pleaser.

As a former high-school springboard diver who place 16th in the New York State Section Five regional championships in 1986 – and not to be outdone by a thirty pound dog – I told Amy that I wanted to come back the next day (today) and get see the sights, get some sun, take a dip, and maybe jump off the wharf about three-hundred times myself. Amy consented. HOORAY!!

So today, there we were, at the wharf, ready to go. I took a jump in, testing the water. It was actually very warm, but very salty. Then Amy went in as well, and executed a nearly flawless dive. The showoff…

She swam around for a while, and then seductively climbed out on the ladder built into the wharf, just like Phoebe Cates in “Fast Times At Ridgemont High.” Just like it…kind of.

There were also about 10 tweens jumping into the water, causing a big ruckus, just about breaking each other’s spinal cords as they jumped within inches of each other, trying to douse each other and all the girls with cannonballs. It was like Caddy Day at the pool.

So I got cocky. It was time to pull out the old ammunition, and fire off the kind of dive that gets you the 16th Place ribbon in the New York State Section Five Championships. In 1986. Off I went…

Did you hear that?! Or see it, anyway? That “One-and-a-Half” was about a “One-and-one-fifth.” I totally smashed my face on a wave. Here’s a picture of my red face:

And there it is, injury #1.

But to add insult to injury, or rather injury to injury, when I climbed up that same ladder, I somehow cut myself.

Injury #2. Yep, there were a bunch of mussels stuck to the wharf, and I don’t know exactly how I did it – I didn’t even really feel it – but I hacked up my knee on some mussels. HOORAY!!

But no worries. We’re fine, Mom.

And as a thank you for reading this, here is a bonus dog. Just off the wharf, in the harbor, was this poodle, with painted toenails, lounging on a boat. HOORAY!

Hello Mom! Greetings from Opatija, Croatia! We drove here yesterday from Venice, Italy. Venice was amazing. It was even better than I thought it would be. Absolutely gorgeous! And before that, we were in Siena for the Palio. Also amazing! More to come on those in a future blog post…

During the drive yesterday we stopped in Slovenia for lunch. (You have to drive through a very small stretch of that country to get to Croatia.) We drove past no less than 6 places that had the same type of outdoor “advertising.” By the last one, I insisted that John pull in so we could have a delicious lunch!

Awesome!

Now we’re having some much needed R&R at the beach. Here’s a quick video of our digs.

Doviðenja from Croatia!

Hey Friends – a quick note before we get into the actual blog post… Today is August 19th, and in exactly THREE MONTHS we arrive back home on the shores of the USA, arriving in New York before heading home for the holidays – so the countdown begins. And now on to the blog post…

…

My wife has done a lot of things for me on this trip. While she enjoyed Brazil and the World Cup, it wouldn’t have been on the top of her list without me bugging her about it. And a day-trip to Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, which involved a great lunch and an afternoon on the beach, was really just a disguised search for the chateau where the Rolling Stones recorded “Exile on Main Street.” I got away with that one because, well, it’s the French Riviera, so who’s asking questions about a slow drive along the coast? But dragging her to the dreary north of England for a Manchester United match in October will not be as sunny, and I’m sure the beaches will not disguise my true intentions.

So when Amy said she wanted to return to Florence, I agreed without hesitation. Amy loves Florence. She’d been there twice before, and was excited to show me “her” Florence. Moreover, we’d be joined by one of our mutual friends, Val, who also loves Florence. I’d been there before as well, and remembered climbing to the top of the Duomo, and thinking that was pretty cool. So I was happy to return. But let’s face it: Florence is a city best enjoyed by women.

And I get it. It’s got everything women love – cute little shops, flowery paper, winding European streets, sidewalk cafes, designer stores, stone-washed sunsets, and friendly Italian men bringing them hot chocolate in a little cup. It’s like chick-flick Disneyland. In fact, here’s an actual quote from our time in Florence:

“This reminds me of ‘Under the Tuscan Sun.’”
“I was JUST thinking that!”

So you’ll see groups of young women, groups of younger women, moms and dads and kids, or couples with weary husbands toting designer shopping bags, or sitting exhausted in the “man chair” at the Gucci store. You don’t believe me? Just look at these poor slobs:

What you won’t see is groups of guys. I can honestly say I’ve never had a friend call me up and say, “get excited, dude, because for my bachelor party we’re all flying to FLORENCE!!” When I visited Florence during a study-abroad in college, some other guys and I would go out and basically grab a beer, eat a slice of pizza, play video games, and then have a gelato on the way home. There were no trips to the Prada store, and we didn’t spend a lot of time looking at maps and reading email notes to make sure we found the best tripe sandwich in town. Traveling with two women is different. In fact, here’s an actual quote from our time in Florence:

“It’s a soap and perfume store from the 16th century!”

That’s not to say I didn’t have a good time. I did! Those sidewalk cafes? They serve great cocktails and beers, notably the Negroni and the Aperol Spritz. Plus Amy and I went to the top of the Duomo again. It was as awesome as I remembered it.

And all the hunting that Amy and Val did to find the best places to eat? We ate some fantastic meals. We also went to the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia, which were great.

But there are other museums in Florence as well. Did you know there’s a Gucci Museum in Florence? Okay, then did you know there’s also a Ferragamo Museum? Amy calls them “the other great masters.” I had no idea. But I sure know about them now…

And speaking of museums, here’s an actual quote from our time in Florence:

“I know it’s trite, but the David is my favorite artwork of all.”

So…let’s talk about this David thing for a minute. If the Mona Lisa was topless, and I spent a half-hour gawking at it, and taking photos of her boobs, my wife would start asking a lot of serious questions. But the David is a masterpiece, and his muscular body, his chiseled abs (literally!), and his full-frontal wangitude are worthy of hours of contemplation, lurid close-up photography, and in-depth discussion.

Listen, I’m not trying to be sexist here, and the whole “men-and-women-are-different” schtick is as old as Genesis (pre-Phil Collins). It’s just that Florence is a city most appreciated, and most loved, by women. And what do you expect, honestly, from a city that was named after Mrs. Brady, the lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely girls, all of them with hair of gold, like their mother (the youngest one in curls)? In fact, here’s an actual quote from our time in Florence (by the way, I’m not making this stuff up, I wrote them down):

“Look at the juxtaposition of light on this pretty little piazza.”

Actual piazza being discussed, seconds after said comment.

And for the guys, there are still things to do – great food, history, architecture, and, if you’re into it, you can get some very nice upscale shoes. In fact, here’s an actual quote from our time in Florence:

“Where’s the stuff for the dudes?”

I said that one, to Amy, when we were in the Ferragamo store. I think that pretty much sums it up.

POSTSCRIPT: I would also like to tell you about another quote from Florence, but unrelated to anything “Florentine.” Amy and Val somehow got to discussing the Donner Party, and cannibalism, and survival. Don’t ask me how. But the following is an actual quote from our time in Florence:

“Drinking pee is gross, but it’s not morally unacceptable.”

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Another guest, another guest blog! We spent a week-and-a-half with my sister Beth and her husband while in Barcelona and the south of France. We invited Beth to share her thoughts…Thanks, Beth!]

Hello! I’m John’s sister, Beth, and here is my guest blog… many hours invested, and several edits later. While John has a degree in English, mine is in Chemistry, so my writing is not as polished. (A factoid: John once corrected our cousin’s Thank You note IN RED PEN, and then returned it to her, so you can understand why I was feeling some additional pressure.)

A little over a year ago, John and Amy shared their plans for this “pretirement” trip around the globe, and asked if we would like to join them somewhere along the way. Without any hesitation at all, my husband, Rick, and I answered, “We’re in!” Almost as quickly, we knew we would join them sometime in July or August as that was the time frame our schedules would allow. That would mean Europe!

We began planning our trip. Our son, Kevin, and his girlfriend, Michelle, would join us. Ultimately, Kevin, Michelle, Rick and I flew into Munich, Germany, on the sixth of July. We made our way through Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and the French Alps to meet up with John and Amy on the 16th in Barcelona, Spain. (On a side note….John and Amy have not been to Liechtenstein OR Switzerland!! Who would have imagined that we’ve been somewhere they have not?!!) Kevin and Michelle would be in Barcelona for a couple days before flying home. The rest of us would remain in Barcelona a little bit longer before heading to St. Lary-Soulon, France, for the 17th stage of the Tour de France.

While we’ve been on some wonderful vacations, we’re not experienced travelers like John and Amy. The planning of the first ten days exhausted Rick and me. We were spent. So many of the details of our time with John and Amy were left entirely up to them. Of course, as John’s sister, I’ve travelled with him before. That was a long time ago, and it involved climbing into the family station wagon before the sun rose, and heading to a campground near our vacation destination. These family vacations often included our grandmothers, and great memories were made on these trips.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: John is the youngest. Beth is clearly the young girl. And our brother Bill was seemingly not pleased with these Kodak moments.]

I was sure this trip, though different in many ways, would also be something special. And I was right.

In Barcelona, we had an awesome apartment right in the Gothic Quarter, Barri Gotic, located just off Plaça Sant Jaume. Just walking to and from the apartment was an experience. The narrow streets of this area are lined with shops of all kinds. We enjoyed a Fat Tire Bike tour which was extremely entertaining, and through which we saw many of Barcelona’s highlights: Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, Plaza del Rei and the Palau Reial (courtyard of the royal palace where Ferdinand and Isabella received Columbus on his return from the new world), La Catedral (Gothic Church from 1298), Palau de la Musica Catalana, Parc de la Ciutadella, and Barcelonetta beach. We strolled through the La Mercat Boqueria (an open air market filled with fresh fruits, seafood and meats), walked down Las Ramblas, and toured the Roman ruins.

Anyone who knows John and Amy know they LOVE good food and drink, and enjoy sharing their favorites with others. Along the way, we shared many things that delight the palette… Octopus, Razor clams, and of course, the delicious Serrano Jamon leg! Some of us even tried some fried brain…which resembled chicken nuggets.

WE HAD SOME THINGS TO CELEBRATE!!! Kevin and Michelle had gotten engaged the night before our arrival in Barcelona, and Kevin turned 24 while there. John and Amy, ever thoughtful, made sure we had champagne (in actual champagne glasses) to toast their engagement, and arranged for a birthday dinner in the wine cellar of a wonderful restaurant.

After Kevin and Michelle returned to the States, we toured La Familia Sagrada, the cathedral envisioned by Gaudi, that’s been under construction for over 100 years. It was inspiring. The colors created by stained glass were fantastic, and many elements of nature are incorporated into its architecture. Anticipated completion is in twelve years, but there is still much to do. We agreed that in 20 years, we’re coming back on a Mediterranean cruise to see if it’s completed. Anyone care to join us?

When our stay in Barcelona was finished, we all piled into “Cleo”, John and Amy’s leased Renault Clio, and headed to the French Pyrenees for the 17th stage of the Tour de France. For the details, please read John’s post, “Bicycle Race”. He did an excellent job telling the story, I could never tell it better. (Remember the aforementioned undergraduate degrees…English vs. Chemistry…need I say more?) We had a blast! We laughed, we drank, we ate, and then we laughed some more.

The only way this trip could have been any better would have been to have our son, Kyle, with us. He was presented with an amazing opportunity when he secured a position with a research team in the Arctic Circle for the summer, and wasn’t able to join us. We missed him! Through the miracle of technology, we were able to have him with us in a small way.

So, thank you, John and Amy! Thank you for inviting us to join in your adventure, and making us feel so welcome every moment that we shared with you. Thank you for helping us to create memories that will last a lifetime. We love you both.